Phanniemay 2016: Amusement
by kuku88
Summary: When Danny and his family go on a vacation to an amusement park, they unwittingly unleash the spirit of a mysterious force...and the folklore behind it.
1. Chapter 1: Vacation

**Chapter 1: Vacation**

 _ **Phanniemay 2016: Day 8**_

 _For Phanniemay over on Tumblr! You can find me by searching up kuku88. :D_

 _I doubt anyone will really bother to read this on here, but ehhhhh why not post it?_

 _If you do read it, please leave a review!_

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"Uhh...this isn't really what I had in mind when I said I needed a vacation," Danny Fenton said, staring up at the tall, colourful yet dark display in front of him.

"Nonsense! Can you imagine how much fun we'll be having?" his dad shouted back over the noise, his hulking figure looming over most of the other people walking around. "Besides, isn't this what you children like nowadays? Roller coasters and game booths?"

"I was thinking more like a beach, some towels, and waves," Danny replied, slumping a little. Going to the amusement park was the last thing he wanted. He was too exhausted for anything, and that included roller coasters.

A hand landed gently on his shoulder and he looked up to see his older sister smiling down at him. "Oh, cheer up, Danny. We don't have to go on any of the more energetic rides if you don't want to."

He smiled back. "Thanks, Jazz."

She turned to their father. "We'll split up and meet back here in two hours, okay? You and Mom can go wherever."

Maddie Fenton gazed at them, brow furrowed. "Be careful, okay?" she said.

"We'll be fine, Mom," Danny promised.

"Alright. Come back right here in exactly two hours! No later, okay?" She leaned over and gave both her children a peck on the forehead. "Bye, kids! Have fun."

They waved before dashing off to some of the game booths nearby. "I bet you can't win me a prize," Jazz challenged.

"You're just saying that 'cause you know you can't win anything yourself." Danny smirked, paying the man who ran the stall and grabbing some of the plastic balls he offered. He began firing them, but the target kept moving. After a couple of attempts, he growled, "This thing is rigged!"

"No, it's not," the man said, smiling. His green eyes seemed to flash red briefly but when Danny blinked again, his eyes were back to normal. "You just don't have a good arm, kid."

He frowned at the man, but Jazz placed a hand on his arm. "Hey, calm down, li'l bro. I got this."

He stared incredulously at him, but then she winked and jerked her head toward the target and he understood. Grinning, he nodded back before saying loudly, "Fine, if you think you can win this lousy game, then go ahead! I'm going to get some cotton candy." He stalked off.

Jazz watched him go, smiling, before preparing her arm to throw. She waited until she saw a flash of green near the target, and then she tossed the ball. At first it looked like the target was moving away again, but then it lay perfectly still.

The man, who'd been counting money deviously, was now taking a double-take. Gawking, he spluttered, "B-But that's _impossible_!"

"Why, because your game is rigged after all?" Jazz asked smugly.

"N-No!" he stammered back. "It's just that... You would've totally missed that! Your throw was way off."

"What? No!" she scoffed. "The only way I would've missed is if the target moved out of the way, which it didn't and _shouldn't_ be able to do."

The man fell silent and grumbling, handed her a glowing green teddy bear. "Take it and move on, kid."

 _"Thank you,"_ she said irritably, snatching it away. As she walked, she was joined by Danny, who was munching on cotton candy.

He grinned. "You owe me one."

"Okay, so you used your ghost powers to stop the target from moving. But the thing was obviously rigged anyway and I would've gotten the shot if it were a fair game," she responded, rolling her eyes good-naturedly.

A puff of blue mist left his lips and his eyes widened. He turned back to the game booth but the man running it had vanished. He shuddered. "I've got a weird feeling about this place."

"What do you mean?" she asked, taking her own cotton candy from a nearby stall. The woman running it glared at her until she tossed a few coins onto the counter.

"I thought I saw that guy's eyes turn red for a second," he explained. "What if he's a ghost?"

She laughed. "A ghost running a game stand? Oh sure."

"Jazz, I'm serious!"

She paused, frowning. "Oh, come on, Danny. I'm sure there's nothing wrong. He may have been evil, but probably not _that_ evil."

"My ghost breath doesn't lie," he shot back.

"Just relax, Danny. I know you've been pretty busy these past few weeks dealing with ghosts, so maybe you're just being paranoid?" she suggested gently.

" _'Paranoid'_?" he spluttered back. "Jazz, you should know better than to say that to me! Don't you remember Youngblood?"

 _"Hrmmm..."_ Jazz hesitated, furrowing her brow as she averted her gaze awkwardly. "I know, but..."

"Darn it, Jazz—why won't you just trust my own judgement? Things don't really work out when you try to run my life. What about Spectra?"

"Danny, I'm sorry, okay! But it's hard not to be worried about you, considering all the stuff you get into!" She then lowered her voice and added, "I just want you to enjoy yourself for today, okay?"

He frowned, staring up at his sister, before relaxing. "Sorry, Jazz. I just... I'm sure there's something off about this place."

"I know. It's not that I don't believe you. But..."

"You don't believe me."

"No!" She paused. "I just... I don't think we can quite jump to conclusions right now. Let's just relax, okay, Danny?"

He took a deep breath, turning away. "Okay. Whatever. Let's just go on one of the rides and forget about this, alright?"

Jazz sighed, following him towards the rides. When they neared the one he was aiming for, her eyes widened in realization. "Are you sure you want to go on this one?" she asked, rushing up to him and grabbing his arm.

He shook her off. "It's fine. We're supposed to be here for _'fun'_ , right? So why not go on the big scary ride and just get it over with?"

"But a _roller coaster_? Are you sure you're up for it?" she continued. "You don't seem to be in the mood for it."

"I'm not." He narrowed his eyes at her. "But you are, aren't you? You wanted to forget about all my paranoia so we can just have fun. So let's do it—let's have fun."

"Danny, why are you so difficult—?"

" _I'm_ difficult?" he scoffed. "You're the one who won't trust me!"

"I do trust you! I just don't want to stress you out with that stuff when we're not even sure it's something to be worried about or not—"

"Whatever! Let's just go on this stupid thing and get it over with." He stormed over to the roller coaster cars, seeing as there was no line. The place was practically deserted. He slid into a seat and folded his arms, glaring straight ahead.

Jazz sighed and joined him slowly, as a teenage worker said in monotone, "Please strap yourselves in and keep your hands and feed inside at all times. Have fun." Then he pulled the lever.

Danny's eyes widened. _Did that guy's hand just go through the lever?_ But then the ride was already starting and the car began climbing the tracks.

"See, isn't this nice?" Jazz offered, trying to break the silence. "There's nothing wrong."

"Yeah, except that worker guy's hand went through the lever," he retorted.

She fell silent. Then: "Are you sure?"

"I'm _sure_ ," he responded. "What? Don't trust me on this, either?"

"No, I'm not—!" She trailed off, hesitating. "Come on, it's not really easy to confirm if someone's hand went through something."

"I _know_ something's up," he insisted. "Why won't you just believe me?"

"I do!" she exclaimed. "But I just don't want—"

Before she could finish her sentence, the two began plummeting down the tracks, and Jazz and Danny began shouting. This went on for some time, and each time they climbed a hill, they were too exhausted to speak. But the whole time the ride went on, Danny couldn't help but wonder what his sister had been trying to say. _She believes me, but—but what? Why isn't she willing to take this seriously?_ he wondered bitterly as they continued up and down the roller coaster. _Some vacation this is turning out to be_.

When they reached the highest peak, the ride suddenly gave out at the top. Jazz looked around wildly. "What's going on?" she panted.

Danny followed her gaze. _Something's up,_ he thought. "Stay here," he told her, "I'm going to check it out."

"Be careful!" she gasped as he transformed into his ghost form beside her.

He gave her a nod to acknowledge her concern before turning invisible and floating into the air. He glanced around, trying to pinpoint anything weird. He could see his parents at the haunted house section, looking as if they were yelling about ghosts because they were blasting Fentonworks guns at fake ghosts as people ran around in terror. Danny shook his head, half-amused and half-embarrassed at his parents' behaviour. Jazz always worried he was too paranoid, but both of them knew that Jack and Maddie Fenton were impossible to beat in terms of their paranoia—or eagerness—of finding evil ghosts.

 _But wait... Are they actually fake?_ Danny squinted at the ghosts his parents were shooting at. They looked like they could go... _Intangible!_ His glowing green eyes widened. _I knew it! I_ knew _there was something weird about this place. But why didn't my ghost sense go crazy?_

He flew towards the haunted house, his snow-white hair blowing in the wind. He made it halfway before he heard screaming. That was Jazz! He spun around and his eyes widened as he saw his sister plummeting downwards—without tracks to support her! The entire tracks after the highest hill had suddenly vanished.

Danny flew forward as fast as he could and dove underneath the roller coaster, turning his body visible. Grunting and grimacing from the effort, he began pushing the roller coaster cars back up inch by inch. His sister sat in one of the seats, shaking and breathing heavily with wide eyes.

The cars violently lurched forward as his arms nearly gave way and Danny gave up on trying to lift them back onto the tracks. That would be too risky anyway, if they started falling again. So instead, he began descending as slowly as possible while carrying the roller coaster. It was painfully difficult, but after an excruciating five or so minutes, he finally set the cars down.

He flew towards Jazz's seat. "Jazz? Jazz, are you okay?" he called.

She sat there, eyes fixated ahead as she breathed deeply. In. Out. In. Out. Finally, she stepped shakily out of the car and he caught her. "I-I'm fine," she stammered in a soft voice, almost too scared to speak loudly lest she began falling again. Sweat dotted her brow. "Just thought I was going to die for a second there." She smiled weakly, as if brushing it off would be easier as a joke.

Danny, who'd been staring at her in concern, now got a determined look in his eyes as he frowned. "I'm going to get the guy who did this. And they're going to regret ever messing with my family." He spun around. "WHO'S THERE? SHOW YOURSELF, GHOST!"

At first silence greeted his demand as every head in the park turned eerily at the same time. ** _"Ahhh... So you figured out my plot,"_** a thick voice began, resonating throughout the whole park.

"Yes, and I want you to get out here so I can kick your butt." Danny was feeling angry now. He'd already been irritated his sister was denying his claims of paranormal activity at the park, and he was even more miffed now that someone had tried to off his sister.

 ** _"I sensed...there was something unique about you, child..."_** the voice hissed, slowly growing more echoey. It had gone soft, but was now creeping in volume. ** _"I didn't realize...you were such an interesting specimen... A half-ghost child?"_**

"Yeah, and I fight guys like you on a regular basis. So you can just show yourself now and get your butt handed to you and we can all move on."

Silence. Then: ** _"Child... Foolish... Foolish child... You don't know...who I am..."_** The voice was joined by faint but haunting screeching now, growing louder as if they were a whirlwind of violent fear.

"I can guess. You have some sort of amusement park theme going on. Are you perhaps a Freakshow rip-off? You ever heard of that guy? Real creep right there. Tried to mind-control me and bend reality to his will. Tried to kill my family with a roller coaster of death sorta like this one. I bet you're not nearly as scary as him, not that he was all that scary to begin with. You're probably just some pesky ghost like the Box Ghost who thinks they're scary. Don't think I haven't seen your goons. The guy that runs the stand and the guy that runs this roller coaster were both not scary at all." Despite his confidence, Danny could actually feel himself becoming nervous. This new foe _sounded_ big, even if he hadn't shown himself yet.

 ** _"Fool... I am...not any of that. You don't...realize, do you...?"_**

Danny turned to his sister for help in deciphering the ghost's claim, but she was staring up ahead with wide, scared eyes. "Jazz, what's wrong?" he questioned.

She just pointed upwards with a shaky hand.

He followed her gaze and his mouth immediately fell open. A giant hulking silhouette of a shadow without form or shape suddenly loomed above them, surrounded by whirling wind. The wind looked like screaming spirits. The ghost had a pair of white, glowing circles for eyes. They looked hollow and yet also so deep they seemed to grab onto you and dig into your soul, refusing to let go. A pair of long, twisting horns sprouted out of its head and down its back, and Danny was startled to realize they were the roller coaster tracks. Various other rides dotted the giant black glob, and it seemed to have long, gangly arms with long, sharp claws that vanished into its body when it moved. And it moved in slow, haunting movements, as if in broken slow motion.

 ** _"Those...weren't my minions... They are...a part of me,"_** the ghost boomed. **_"I am...this whole amusement park. It is all...a part of me."_**

Danny whispered out one single word in response as he took a step back: "Oh darn."

 ** _"I am...Amuzo."_**

 _This_ really _isn't what I had in mind when I said I needed a vacation._

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 ** _To Be Continued!_**

 _Be sure to check back later and leave a review if you'd like. ;P_


	2. Chapter 2: Folklore

**Chapter 2: Folklore**

 ** _Phanniemay 2016: Day 11_**

 _For Phanniemay over on Tumblr! You can find me under kuku88. :D_

 _I am sooooo behind on Phanniemay haha oops. A bunch of stuff happened, like me writing a poem for a slam poetry event my Writing class was hosting at school so I was trying to memorize that, and a French oral exam both on Friday. Then I went to hang out with pals after school but got a really bad migraine and went to sleep early (migraines accompanied by vomiting is kinda normal for me - although throwing up is less common now thank God). Both of those are over but I still have a Socials test coming up and I work tomorrow; hopefully May will slow down after that! ^^"_

 _Anyway, please enjoy!_

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While Danny Phantom and his sister were off at an amusement park dealing with a big, scary ghost, his two best friends were still back in Amity City. Sam Manson and Tucker Foley had been left behind in Danny's exciting trip, and were now hanging out in Sam's giant mansion to make up for it.

Sam was on her laptop, lying on her stomach on her bed. She scrolled through various goth websites, many that involved ghost legends. She smiled to herself. "I bet we know more than these guys," she announced, breaking the silence. "We know a half-ghost hero, after all."

"Sure, but then again, not everyone has that privilege," Tucker replied airily, flipping through a magazine. He was lying against her bed on the floor. "Now if only I could find myself a hot girl I can know..."

She rolled her eyes, before noticing a webpage that especially caught her eye. She raised an eyebrow, clicking on the link. It led her to a black page decorated with little white stars that glittered and flashed. Silver cursive font spelled out the words **_"The Folklore Behind the Amazing Amuzo Park"_**. She muttered the words to herself before saying out loud, "Hey, Tuck?"

"Yeah?" he answered, not looking up from his perch.

"Ever heard of the 'Amazing Amuzo Park'?"

"Nah, is that some sort of theme park?" He finally sat up, glancing at her.

"Yeah, it's an amusement park that was built in the 1900's." She scrolled down. "Wow, it looks pretty cool. Kind of gothic, actually."

"Hey, wait—didn't Danny say he was going to an amusement park? I remember now! I really wanted to go when I heard that, but apparently his folks wanted it to be a family thing. Danny didn't even sound excited!" Tucker was back to looking through the magazine now, more pouty than intrigued by the information Sam had put forth.

She ignored him and kept skimming through the page. The more information she read, the more dread coiled itself within her stomach. "Hey, Tuck, can you believe this?" Sam asked, kicking her legs back and forth as she browsed through text. "It says here that—"

"No way!" he responded, lying on his back and huffing. "Danny got to go to the amusement park without me and he didn't even want to go!"

"No! I meant _this_." She shoved the laptop toward Tucker. "Look. It's about a _haunted_ amusement park."

"Haunted? Jeez, do you think Danny's gonna have a run-in with these ghosts too?" he asked.

"I don't know. It's a moving park and it's currently stationed near Amity Park."

Tucker sat up straight. "You don't think that's the one he went to, do you?"

She shook her head and shrugged to indicate that once again, she didn't know.

He leaned closer to the screen and began reading. "I'll message him. See where he is."

"Good idea. I'll message Jazz just in case," agreed Sam. "She might be in danger, since she doesn't have ghost powers and probably isn't carrying Fenton tech."

"So what's this thing all about?" he asked. "Why is this certain amusement park haunted? What's the folklore behind it?"

Sam gazed at the screen. "According to folklore, the Amazing Amuzo Park would travel from town to town. It grew a lot in popularity during the 1900's. The owner of the park was eccentric. His name was James Amuzo, and he usually set his park up in desolate, poor cities. He insisted that it gave children who live there happiness, but many of those children disappeared—or if they returned, they were empty shells of their former selves—after the Amuzo Park was taken down. The police tried to investigate but could never find anything that would get the owner in trouble.

"The park always arrived at nighttime and the first thing people would hear was the soft, haunting melody of the park played as it lit up. It was a dim amusement park though, but it drew children by the dozen. It would stay for three days to a week before dismantling and moving on, but it proved to be really popular, even with its bad rep. Given how most of the places it visited were poor, they didn't know about the park's reputation and the lore behind it—and even if they did, children were so hypnotized by it they went anyway. Most of the time the parents weren't even there to stop the kids, and when they were, they couldn't or didn't think to do so.

"One day, the park's owner just disappeared. He left behind a note saying _'I've done my job and now Amuzo has promised to set me free. I'm sorry for all the trouble we've caused, but at least their bad memories are gone'_ in cutout letters from a magazine. The police were incredibly confused when they arrived on the scene. The amusement park was totally trashed, and there were no children left behind in the wreckage. James Amuzo was gone too. They did manage to recover two children, but both of them were like empty shells of their former selves, with no memory. The police did manage to come to the conclusion that a lot of the missing kids had lived in bad conditions and suffered mental issues or dealt with sever trauma.

"The park disappeared before they could investigate enough and they concluded that either the children ran away and James helped them, or James Amuzo was...actually a lot more sinister than most would initially believe. He was a dark, strange, eccentric man, who was a little sporadic, but generally rather nice, police reported. Even with all the evidence against him, it was hard to believe he was responsible for the crimes. No one knew who he was, there was no information on him or his family, and no live relatives or friends could be located. Just like James Amuzo, anything about him just seemed to up and disappear.

"Despite all this, the Amuzo Park continues to travel, although no one' never met the new owner—a lot of people believe that the park is haunted and run by ghosts. As for why the theme park focused so much on children, and why the kids who didn't disappear became such hollow, empty versions of themselves, many people have theorized that the park swallowed up the kids' memories—perhaps the bad ones. Or maybe even their souls. Or maybe they were just..." Sam paused, turning to look at Tucker, wide-eyed.

He stared back, mouthing the words she couldn't say. Words they probably couldn't say if they were TV characters in a TV cartoon show. But words that people could still probably guess when dealing with ghosts.

Sam jumped up before Tucker could work up the courage to say the words out loud, announcing, "I'm going to call Jazz right now. We need to know they're okay."

He nodded. "I'll message Danny too. They might need our help."

She also nodded, rushing to her phone and picking it up. As she dialled Jazz's number, she quietly begged, "Please... Please be okay, you two... The folklore behind the Amazing Amuzo Park has me really worried..."

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 _Leave a review, if you'd like!_


	3. Chapter 3: Monster

**Chapter 3: Monster**

 ** _Phanniemay 2016: Day 21_**

 _For Phanniemay on Tumblr! You can find me under kuku88. :D_

 _I'm trying my darndest to get caught up. xD_

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Staring up at the giant, shadowy monster standing in front of them, Jazz couldn't help but feel scared watching as her half-ghost brother tried to fight it. Her heart was beating fast and her stomach dropped every time Danny was hit or knocked aside.

Just as Danny was about to smash into a tree, Jazz felt her phone start ringing in her pocket. She shakily pulled out the device and answered, "Hello...?"

"Jazz, this is Sam calling; are you okay? Tucker and I just found out that there's a haunted amusement park stationed near Amity Park―and you guys might be heading towards it―"

"That information would have probably been more useful two hours ago," Jazz interrupted quietly, her eyes still glued to the fight erupting ahead of her. She grimaced as Danny was swatted aside like a fly by Amuzo.

"Oh boy; are you guys stuck at the park?"

"Well...yeah."

"And what's it like? What's happening?"

"The park kind of attacked us and right now Danny's trying to fight it—key word is _trying_. But it's not just a small ghost haunting the park. The ghost is the whole amusement park and Danny's having some trouble."

Meanwhile, up above, Danny Phantom was struggling against the giant shadowy ghost fighting him. It was large and strong and relentless, easily overpowering his attempts to defeat it. He groaned in pain as his phone began ringing and he picked up. "What's up?"

"Danny, it's Tuck. Sam found out that there's a haunted amusement park―"

"Yeah, I know. We're already here and this giant ghost is already battling me."

"Oh... Uh... Well, are you okay then?"

"No. I feel like a truck has slammed into me ten times over," he muttered.

Tucker hesitated, sounding awkward. "Oh. Well, Sam and I are going to try and help."

"Thanks, but that's gonna be kinda inconvenient." Danny rubbed his sore arm. "I can't fight all that well while I'm on my phone and―OW." The ghost's arm had slammed into him and he was shot downwards. "Yeah, being on the phone and fighting at the same time really doesn't mix," he groaned.

"Let me hang up. I think Sam has an idea. Later, Danny."

"Later," he agreed. After that, Danny looked down and saw his sister waving her arm. He flew downwards and towards her. "What is it? I'm a little busy right now, if you can't tell."

"I can see that." She grabbed his arm. "Listen, Danny―Sam has the amusement park's website open. She'll give me the information and I'll relay it to you so we can try and beat this thing together."

"Cool, but how are you supposed to give me the info? This ghost is kinda huge and I'm going to be high up in the air..."

Jazz frowned, before brightening. "The Fenton-phones! They'll work. They'll filter out spectral noise so we can communicate."

"I know that." He smiled slightly as he picked up the green earpiece. "I remember these. Tucker called them a fashion-don't but they saved us from Ember's hypnotic singing."

"Oh yeah, I've heard that one before." Jazz smiled. "You were even put under a love spell by Ember. That was back when you and Sam didn't know you two liked each other."

Danny blushed. "Oh be quiet." He floated back up into the air. "Look, we'll communicate by this way and figure out a way to defeat Amuzo."

"Alright." Jazz watched as he flew off. "Good luck, by the way!" she called.

He glanced back and waved thankfully, before diving back into the fray.

"Okay, Sam; lay it on me. What do you have on Amuzo?"

"Not enough, probably. But we'll try and work with what we got." Sam was silent for a few seconds. "Okay, it looks like based on its backstory, people have speculated that it isn't just James Amuzo who haunts the park—but rather, all the children who disappeared. That's probably why it's so big."

"Did you catch that, Danny?" Jazz asked.

"Yeah, but this Amuzo ghost really doesn't act like a kid. It talks in this really slow, echo-y voice."

"The echoes are probably all the combined voices of the missing children. Maybe it's driven by guilt?" She quickly explained the folklore behind the park. "All the children who vanished and even James Amuzo himself could be haunting the park."

"What did he mean with his note; the whole _'at least their bad memories are gone'_?" asked Danny, dodging a blow in the air.

"Sam said that people think the ghost swallowed up the children's memories, right? That in turn probably gets rid of a part of themselves too, which is why they become empty shells," Jazz theorized.

Danny turned intangible as a dark beam was shot at him. "Okay, but how do we use any of this information against the ghost? I'm not getting any closer to defeating it."

Sam didn't reply right away, probably scrolling through the page. "Maybe try talking to it?"

"What?" he spluttered. "Are you crazy? I'm going to get turned into a full ghost if I try that."

"Just give it a try," Sam insisted. "And see how it responds."

"Alright, if you say so," he muttered. Then he raised his voice and shouted, "Hey, Amuzo! You're pretty sentient, aren't you?"

 ** _"I am...very sentient... What is it...that you wish...to say?"_** the ghost rumbled.

"So you aren't just a monster," Danny remarked, floating in the air. "In that case, tell me more about yourself. Where did you come from? Why are you here? How did you become this way? What do you remember?"

 ** _"No...stop..."_**

"What do you want? Where do you want to go? Why are you fighting? Why are you like this?"

 ** _"Stop... Stop... Stop!"_** Amuzo screeched, slowly raising its shadowy hands to cover the sides of its head. **_"Enough! That's...far too many...questions...far too soon..."_**

"Sorry, man, but I thought you were sentient enough to answer them."

 ** _"I...thought I was, but...I don't...remember..."_**

Danny frowned. "Really?"

 ** _"No...I-I do remember... But I remember...too much... I remember more than one story...more than one tale... Why... Why is this?"_**

"It's because you're not just one ghost," Danny stated loudly.

Amuzo reeled back in surprise. **_"I am...?"_**

"Yes. Amuzo, you're more than one ghost. You're a cultivation of all the children's bad memories and lives, forming into one giant shadowy park."

Amuzo slithered closer to Danny. _**"I remember...living on the streets...with nothing to eat. I only had...my dog, Snowball... And I remember...angry mothers and fathers... I remember...I could never live up to her** **standards..."**_

"Those sound like the story of some of the confirmed missing children!" Sam exclaimed. "There was a homeless boy named Johnny with a dog named Snowball. Snowball came back but Johnny never did. A lot of the kids didn't have a good home life, so the angry parents thing adds up too. And there were children with parents that had very high standards, like Marry Austin—she disappeared after the park came to her town too."

"I see." Danny narrowed his eyes. "Okay, Amuzo. I'm going to tell it to you straight. You are made up of memories. Good and bad, but mostly bad." He paused. "What's the earliest time you remember being...well, alive? Or rather, undead?"

 ** _"I remember...nothing...and then...something._ Everything _. Life...in this lifeless body... I remember hunger... I needed to eat...so much... More..."_**

He nodded. "Yes. Amuzo, you _are_ one ghost, after all. Or, you _were_. You grew after consuming so many of the children's memories and taking away a part of themselves."

 ** _"I remember...meeting a red-eyed demon...over and over again... And the next thing I knew...was pain... So much...pain... Before nothingness...and then I was...here."_**

"That's probably the children's memories of meeting you before you took away the said memories," explained Danny.

 ** _"But where...am I from...? I remember meeting...James... All I could feel...was hunger..."_**

"You were born somehow from James Amuzo and his family, but your only instinct was to feed. James Amuzo did his best to satisfy your ever-growing hunger. That's why he began collecting all those children and feeding you their memories."

 ** _"So I am...a monster?"_** Amuzo asked.

Danny felt himself soften. "No. You aren't a monster, Amuzo. I mean—you kind of are, but mostly... _You were_."

 ** _"Explain..."_** the ghost rumbled.

"When you first emerged, all you knew was to feed. Because you weren't a sentient ghost. You were a manifestation of darkness. You were a creature with only instincts to follow."

 ** _"A monster."_**

Danny paused, before nodding. "Yes. You were a monster."

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Please leave a review~ :D


	4. Chapter 4: Accident

**Chapter 4: Accident**

 _ **Phanniemay 2016: Day 25**_

 _For Phanniemay over on Tumblr! You can find me under "kuku88". :D_

* * *

 ** _"A...monster..."_** Amuzo finally repeated after a lengthy silence, before drawing itself upwards and changing from a horizontally-shaped black blob to a vertically-shaped black blob.

"Yes." Danny Phantom paused, floating in the air, staring up at the ghost with its long, twisting horns. He swallowed, his voice dropping to a gentler tone. "I'm sorry."

 ** _"Hmmmm..."_** Amuzo's white eyes smouldered as it stared down at Danny, before lowering itself to the ground.

"What else do you remember, Amuzo? We read that you used music to lure children to your park. What does the music mean for you?"

 ** _"Can't...remember..."_**

"Could you play the music for us, at least?" Danny asked carefully. "I'd like to hear it firsthand to see what it's like and how it might've affected people."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Jazz said suddenly, a twinge of worry to her tone.

Danny kept his eyes pinned to the ghost. "It only affects children, right? So since I'm a teen, it should be okay."

Jazz hesitated. "I guess we won't know if we don't try."

"Exactly." He swallowed, taking a deep breath. "Can you do it, Amuzo? Can you play your music for me?"

So Amuzo did. As the ghost drew even further within itself, it began playing a haunting, melody. The tune flowed almost like bouncing dots and gripped you with ghostly claws. It was almost reminiscent of an ice cream truck had twinkling lights. Danny closed his eyes. Even though he was a teen, he could feel the song luring him in...even if he wasn't being hypnotized.

Danny waited until the music stopped and blinked open his eyes. Amuzo was staring at him, eyes flickering like the flames in a fireplace.

"That was spooky," Jazz said, her voice shaking.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "Amuzo, I know I'm asking you a lot of questions, but can you remember anything about the past? You mentioned that you have memories of the children who saw you before being eaten... But what started all of this off?"

 ** _"I remember...an accident..."_** Amuzo hissed. It seemed to bristle, narrowing its eyes as it thought back to the past.

"An accident?" repeated Danny, snapping to attention. "That's interesting. You're a build-up of bad memories, aren't you? And since you started off as a spirit of negativity, you wouldn't have a real human origin like ghosts like Ember. But you still remember an accident?"

 ** _"It was...the first time...I talked to James..."_** the ghost explained. ** _"He'd been...in an accident... And before this... His parents had been fighting...a lot... So he wasn't a very...happy child..."_**

Danny frowned, thinking. "So you'd been following him before that, and the accident gave you the chance to sweep in and talk to him."

 ** _"Yessss... He couldn't see me before that... But that night...he almost died...and he saw me."_**

"Tell us more," the boy said, eyes wide in fascination. "Tell me more about the accident that made it possible for him to talk to you."

 _Flashback_

 _The world was gray._

 _James Amuzo, ten-years-old, stared out the window as the gray clouds rolled over the gray sky, overlooking the gray fields and gray road. Raindrops slid down sideways on his window, and thunder and lightening crackled up ahead._

 _Sitting beside him was his mother, who was yelling at the man sitting across from them—who was James' father. The two were arguing relentlessly, barely letting the other get a word in._

 _James didn't understand his parents sometimes. They would always insist on these family outings, saying it would be good for them, but then they would begin bickering as soon as they were out the door. And half the time it was over petty things. But today they'd insisted on a trip despite the obvious signs that there would be a storm. It didn't help that James wasn't having a very good time at school. The other children picked on him and called him weird, just because he didn't want to play and because his parents were so often away. He lived by himself in a giant, dark house so the children would often call him the son of ghosts, claiming that his parents were just a figment of his imagination and that no one loved him._

 _He almost wished it was that way._

 _When his parents came into his life, they came in extravagantly, trying to pull James into family trips for "bonding"—as if that made up for the fact they were barely there for him every other time. As if that made them good parents. Good people. As if they could buy his love._

 _Staring out the window, James counted the number of times he heard claps of thunder or saw flashes of lightening above. When he got to the number six, the extra loud strike spooked the horses and the car swerved. It lurched for a terrible, long moment as they tried to keep the coach from tumbling off the road and into the ditch below._

 _James heard his parents scream before there was a crash and he lurched forward and hit his head and then—_

 _—There was black._

 _And then there was light._

 _It didn't feel like a long time had passed. Blinking open his eyes, a young James looked around. All around him was white. He briefly wondered if he was in heaven, but he couldn't be sure because he couldn't see his parents—unless, of course, they hadn't made it to heaven. But in that case, where were the angels and the clouds and the gates?_

 _"Hello?" he called. "Is anyone there? Mother? Father?" He called until his voice grew hoarse, feeling as if an eternity had passed._

 _He sat down, feeling the tears start to come. He didn't know where he was and where his parents were. He wasn't sure where to go and what to do. He didn't know the first thing about going to heaven._

 _And besides that,_ he didn't want to die _._

 _As he cried, his shadow started to shift without him noticing and a small black droplet bounced out of his shadow. The black droplet grew bigger, becoming a circular black blob. It grew two very little spikes on its head that were reminiscent of horns. It blinked open two smouldering white eyes and it stared at James._

 _As he cried, the little creature chirped. Wiping his eyes, James opened them and gazed down at the thing staring up at him. "What are you?" he wondered aloud, mystified. He'd always loved the idea of mythological creatures, but his parents constantly insisted that they weren't real. Besides, the little black blob didn't resemble any of the creatures he knew._

 _It chirped again, bouncing toward him. He smiled, feeling reassured by the presence of the cute thing, and reached out to pet it. As soon as he touched it though, he instantly regretted it. A searing, hot flash of pain spiked up his hand and he let out a cry, trying to pull it back._

 _But he couldn't._

 _The blob had latched onto him with black tendrils that clawed at his hand, and the innocent creature seemed just as surprised as James by this new development. Memory after horrible memory flashed through his head, reminding James of a lifetime of ridicule, difficulty, and absent parents, bringing with it endless rage and pain and sadness—and that wasn't even half of it. Once the pain finally subsided, the creature drew itself away, unlatching itself from the boy._

 _Gasping, James pulled his hand back as quickly as possible and stared at the blob. "What did you do...?" he choked out._

 _The blob chirped once more, before suddenly growing in size and opening its haunting, glowing white eyes once more. It now resembled less of a blob and more of a being with a small body and claws._ **"James Amuzo..."** _it whispered._ **"You're...afraid..."**

 _"I am," the boy agreed, panting. "But I don't think I can be blamed for it, all things considered."_

 **"You're afraid...of me. And you're sad..."** _It paused, gazing at him with a viscous hunger._ **"You're deliciously sad."**

 _"What does that mean?" asked James, bewildered and terrified. He could feel the tears coming as his hand slowly numbed, throbbing in pain._

 **"I fed on it... Your sadness... But you have so much more..."** _The pitch-black being bobbed up and down a little._ **"I want...more... I want to eat...all of it... To eat and grow..."**

 _"No—no, you can't!" He scrabbled backwards. "That hurt when you did it!" He couldn't quite explain it, but James felt as if he'd just lost a little bit of his soul when the blob had latched onto him. He didn't want to feel that way again._

 **"But I'm...hungry..."** _the blob stated matter-of-factly._

 _Pity for the creature took ahold of James. "Where are you from?" he finally asked._

 _It blinked._ **"I do not...know. I was sleeping...for a long time... Until I sensed your sadness...and I awakened. And all I felt...was hunger."**

 _"But you can't feed on me." James folded his arms, trying to hide his hands._

 **"Why...not...?"**

 _"Because I said so. And it hurt when you did." He stared at the creature. "But...if you want, I'll help you find food."_

 **"How would you...do that?"** _asked the blob._

 _"Take me home and I'll find you some sad people. And then I can get back at all those people who made me feel terrible and alone," James promised, feeling years of bitterness start flowing around him. The creature tilted its head, seemingly longing for the sadness that swirled inside of the boy. "I'll feed you, as long as you promise not to hurt me and to do as I say. Anyone who hurts me will be fair game for consumption._ _I want you to be my friend, and I will name you Amuzo."_

 **"Alright..."** _the creature replied._ **"It will be...a pleasure, James Amuzo..."**

 _"Take me home, Amuzo."_

 **"As you...wish..."**

 _And thus, that was the day James Amuzo pretty much died. It was also the day he pretty much came back to life._

 _End Flashback_

"So that's what happened," Danny noted, gazing up at Amuzo.

"And that's how you guys came to your agreement. I guess when James grew up, he made the amusement park to keep satisfying your ever-growing hunger," Jazz added.

"And maybe he started to feel guilty about it as he got older and more kids were consumed," he agreed.

Amuzo swirled slightly, eyes seeming to smoulder even more than before. **_"What...now...?"_** it rumbled.

Jazz and Danny exchanged glances despite one of them hovering several feet above the other. The same thought was racing through their minds: _What now?_

* * *

 _Please review! :)_


	5. Chapter 5: Peace

**Chapter 5: Peace**

 _ **Phanniemay 2016: Day 30**_

 _For Phanniemay over on Tumblr! You can find me under "kuku88". :D_

 _Also, here's the final chapter! Sorry if anything seems rushed; I was following the prompts on Tumblr, and there's only so many days that fit with this story! Every other day I did art. xD_

* * *

"Is it alright if we stop fighting?" Danny Phantom asked, staring at the large, pitch-black ghost before him. "You're not very easy to fight and I don't want you to lose control."

It gazed back, its blank white gaze sending shivers down the boy's spine. When it finally spoke, its echoey voice was low and rumbled like rolling thunder. **_"Yes... I wish to stop...fighting as well... I just want...to be in peace..."_**

"Oh, thank goodness," Jazz said, breathing out an obvious sigh of relief. "One more second actually battling and you would've become a ghost for real."

"Hey, I had it taken care of," Danny said defensively.

"Oh sure," his sister responded sarcastically with a roll of her eyes―she was smiling in amusement though, clearly happy that her baby brother was a-okay.

Danny turned to Amuzo. "May we have our parents back, then?" he questioned.

 ** _"Yes..."_** the ghost rumbled, reaching onto its back and pulling out the limp forms of Jack and Maddie Fenton. **_"When I...changed forms, they fell...unconscious. But they...will be okay."_**

"Thank goodness." Jazz watched as Danny turned them intangible and flew them down to where she stood. They laid them down on the ground.

Amuzo interrupted their reunion. **_"I would like...more answers... I wish to speak...to James Amuzo again..."_**

"How are we going to do that?" Danny wondered aloud.

Jazz frowned. "I don't―"

Before she could finish though, a large roaring sounded, followed by a cloud of smoke and dust and a screech as tires skidded across pavement. Coughing, Danny and his sister looked up to see a certain purple scooter. Hopping off of the bike were Danny's best friends Sam Manson and Tucker Foley, both of whom quickly pulled off their helmets and joined the squad.

"What's happened?" asked Tucker, panting.

Danny quickly summarized the events and finished with, "Amuzo wants to talk to James Amuzo again, but we don't know how we're supposed to pull it off."

Sam brightened. "I could try summoning him," she offered.

"What...?" Danny stared blankly at her.

"Summoning," she explained. "I'll draw a circle with a star in the middle. I just need six candles and a lighter."

"I have candles," Jazz piped up, rummaging through her bag.

"Why do you have that with you?" her brother demanded.

"What?" she responded defensively. "You never know."

"Well, it's a good thing you had them with you," Sam added, already using a stick to draw a circle in the dirt. She then drew a smaller circle inside of the circle, making it a border, before drawing the star. Then she took the candles and lighter from Jazz and set them around the summoning circle as well, before lighting them. Her friends watched, mystified.

"Is this really going to work?" asked Danny, holding the Fenton thermos at the ready. "And are you sure this is safe? I wouldn't want you to be hurt."

"Aww, that's sweet of you, but you have the thermos if we need to suck them back into the Ghost Zone." Sam gave him a smile before looking back down at the summoning circle, her cheeks turning pink as she added, "Besides, I trust in Danny Phantom the Ghost Boy. Shouldn't you?"

He blinked in surprise before smiling too.

Jazz rolled her eyes, a small smile playing at her lips. "Ah, young love," she teased.

"Jazz!" Danny protested, his face red.

"What? It's true," she insisted.

"It's the exact opposite of our usual job; summoning a ghost," Tucker joked after a few moments of awkward silence.

"Quiet, you guys." Sam shook her head to clear it, before stopping in front of the circle and pulling out a black book. "I recently found this from our last ghost battle. So there's only one way to see if it works..."

Danny looked back up at Amuzo. "Is this okay with you?" he asked. "Is this what you really want?"

It made a gesture with its head that resembled a nod. **_"Yes... All I want now...is to rest... I just want...peace..."_**

"Very well." He turned back to Sam. "Do your thing."

She nodded back and began chanting words from the black book. A large wind blew in, causing their hair to dance and they squinted against the breeze. Sam's eyes began to glow, until she finally screamed the last word and there was a poof of smoke. All the while, Amuzo hung over them, watching silently.

When they opened their eyes, they saw none other than James Amuzo himself.

Sam recognized him from his profile on the website she'd been browsing. He had a decently attractive face despite being rather plain; he hadn't been too old when he'd disappeared. He was wearing what resembled a ringmaster's red uniform with golden tassels and brass buttons and everything. He also had a black moustache and very haunted dark-brown eyes. His uniform was paired with white pants, black boots, and a small top hat. He was boxy, short, had freckles, and slouched slightly.

"James Amuzo?" Sam breathed.

"What's going on?" he demanded, looking around, eyes wide. "Where am I?"

"I summoned you," she explained, looking proud. "And wow—I can't believe it worked."

He stared at her. "You summoned _me_? Why _me_ , of all people?" His eyes darted around nervously. "I'm supposed to be gone... Disappeared; forever... I'm supposed to be enjoying my afterlife in peace..."

"Well you're obviously not at peace, considering the fact you're still haunting Earth," Danny interjected, floating over protectively to Sam's side.

James Amuzo's watery brown eyes shot towards him. "You... You're a ghost as well."

"I'm Danny Phantom," he confirmed, nodding. "And don't get any ideas. We've summoned you here for only one reason."

"And what's that?" the paranoid, shaky ghost asked.

Danny pointed. "That."

Following his gaze, James' eyes landed on Amuzo's large being—his eyes had to slowly crawl upwards until he was met with the unrelenting, burning white eyes. He gasped, scrabbling backwards. "It's Amuzo!" he cried. "Get back! Stay away; run! Keep it away from me!"

Danny and Sam exchanged glances. This did not sound like the same guy who asked Amuzo to join him as a boy to get revenge on everyone who'd upset him.

Floating over to him, Danny grabbed the man's arm. "Whoa, steady," he said. "What's wrong?"

"You don't understand," James panted. "That thing... That thing is unsatisfiable. It will never stop feeding; never stop demanding more—and the more it feeds, the bigger it gets, making it more monstrous..." He shivered, cowering back. "I was haunted by it for so many years—far too many years; sacrificing endless amounts of children as we travelled from city to city... Don't you see? I gave Amuzo up for a reason. I disappeared. I'm not supposed to be back!"

 ** _"It's nice...to see you too, James..."_** the ghost hissed, bristling as its eyes narrowed.

Danny put his hands up, startled by Amuzo's sudden sign of anger. The ghost hadn't shown many signs of emotion before this. "Okay, both of you need to calm down." He turned to James. "It's okay. We managed to pacify Amuzo."

"No, that's impossible. You cannot pacify such a insatiable appetite," James protested. "It'll eat you, you know. You're young; it'll take your memories and you will—"

"Become a shell of my former self; I know." Danny glanced back at the ghost, feeling sorry for it. "But not this time. I'm 14—I'm a teenager. I'm not affected by it's hypnotizing music and it can't eat my memories. And besides, my memories aren't so bad. Not nearly as bad as the children's who've been consumed, I mean. My memories are...unique, considering the fact I'm half-ghost."

James looked absolutely lost.

Sighing, Danny finished with, "What I mean is that it's fine. I'm a teen."

The man looked back up at Amuzo. "So why summon me?" he choked out.

"Because you're the only one who knows anything about Amuzo. And it wanted to talk to you."

"You did?" the man asked.

Amuzo made the nodding gesture again. ** _"I have...questions..."_** it rumbled.

"What did you want to ask?" James prodded fearfully, staying a safe distance away.

Jazz leaned in and whispered to the group: "He's not at all what I thought he'd be like. From his profile and his first meeting with Amuzo, you'd expect a proud, haughty man."

Tucker shrugged. "Times change. People change. I guess he just changed his mind partway through their deal."

James floated a little closer to Amuzo. "I won't be able to answer questions about your origin. All I know is what you know; that you're born from children's sadness and that you slumber until your next victim... And that you feed on bad memories."

 ** _"Yes... But what I wanted to ask...is something a little...different,"_** the ghost rumbled back.

James closed his eyes. "And what's that?"

 ** _"Why did you...abandon me...?"_**

His eyes snapped open. "What?"

Amuzo stared back. **_"You...left me, James. After...everything. After...your promise."_**

"I-I..." He trailed off after stammering a bunch. "I just—I began to feel guilty. I began to regret everything and you were so hard to satisfy and you started growing more and more dangerous each day... Amuzo, you were becoming harder and harder to control. And I just felt so awful about everything so I—I stopped."

 ** _"You disappeared."_**

"Yes. I quit. I ended everything—including myself." James stared down at his boots. "I'm sorry I ran away, Amuzo."

 ** _"I felt...alone,"_** Amuzo hissed. ** _"I went...on a rampage... Before returning to...my slumber..."_**

James hesitated. "...I didn't—I didn't think you'd care."

 ** _"I am sentient. I feel."_**

"I know. I should've known then as well. But I was just so scared, I—" He stopped himself and sighed, looking down again. "I'm sorry," he repeated.

There was a lengthy silence as Danny watched Amuzo carefully, wondering if the spirit would attack its former human partner.

But then it spoke again: ** _"Did you...really consider me...a friend, James...?"_**

"What?" The man looked up incredulously.

 ** _"You said you were my friend... Were you...really?"_** Amuzo asked.

James hesitated some more. Then he sighed and shook his head. "No. I'm sorry. I treated you more like a vicious pet than a friend, even though I said I'd be your friend. And then I got scared when I lost control and backed out. I'm sorry again."

Amuzo bristled, large spikes appearing along its back and arms as it hissed loudly for many, long seconds. Danny held the thermos at the ready, prepared to fly toward the spirit if necessary.

But Amuzo didn't attack. After long enough, it relaxed. It bent down toward James Amuzo and said, **_"We both...made mistakes...it would appear... But James... You made me more...sentient and...have more emotion...than I should have. And for that...I thank you."_** It paused, a low hiss sounding—but it wasn't menacing; it sounded more like steam escaping from a kettle. **_"I lost...sight of that...for awhile, but this boy here...reminded me what it was like...to feel."_** It turned its smouldering eyes onto Danny. **_"Thank you...as well."_**

Danny smiled awkwardly, nodding back.

James bowed his head. "I'm glad to hear that, Amuzo."

 ** _"I have...one last question..."_** the large spirit rumbled.

"Yes?" James looked up.

 ** _"Will you...be my friend again...James?"_**

James' eyes widened.

 ** _"We were...together for more...than 10 years. And while...we were never really...friends, we could...start fixing that...now. All I wish for now...is to rest...in peace..."_**

Eyes starting to water, James smiled after recovering from his shock. He closed his eyes and nodded. "I'd be happy to be your friend, Amuzo."

It bowed its head. ** _"And I...as well. It is an honour...James."_**

"It will be an honour, Amuzo," he agreed, nodding.

Amuzo looked up and lifted one of its long black arms, reaching out to James. The man held up his own hand and as his fist made contact with the spirit's large claws, Amuzo made a large, whooshing noise as it burst into thousands of black tendrils. When the tendrils stopped rushing toward James, they showed Amuzo resting on the man's hand, as small as it had been when it first met James. It was little more than a small, circular blob.

James looked less scared too, not hunching over anymore. He stood straight and instead of looking ridiculous, his uniform made him look proud and regal. His liquid brown eyes were now fixed in a firm gaze, and he looked all the part like a ringmaster.

Danny's mouth fell open. "You mean you could've done that this whole time!?"

"It could, a long time ago—when it was easier to control." James smiled, looking nostalgic. "But otherwise it wouldn't. And this time it doesn't hurt because I'm not a kid anymore."

Amuzo made a chirping noise before saying, **_"I have not given up...all of my power. I have simply...stored it away. So I may still speak... But I may also control...my size. This is my...transportable size...when I'm not...an amusement park."_** Its eyes arched upwards, making it look like it was smiling despite it not having a mouth as it chirped again. ** _"Thank you... All of you."_**

Danny smiled. "No problem. I'm glad I could help." He paused. "I just have one favour to ask of you in return."

"Anything. I'd be happy to repay you for reuniting me with...an old friend." James smiled down at Amuzo, who chirped happily. He looked up again. "What is it that you'd like?"

"This." He held up the Fenton Thermos. "It's a device my dad made to send ghosts back to the Ghost Zone so you guys don't bother the human population with your haunting. I have nothing against either of you; it's just that humans are scared of ghosts and ghosts tend to be pretty violent. So...is it alright if I...?"

"Yes, of course." James dipped his head. "Take us home, Danny Phantom."

He smiled, before opening the thermos and watching as the two ghosts became sucked inside. "Goodbye!" he called.

"Farewell!" James replied with a chirp from Amuzo, before they were completely inside and Danny screwed the lid back on.

He turned to his friends, flying over to them and landing before he changed into his human form. "I guess they found peace," he said finally, after a long silence. All of them nodded, before smiling.

Danny and Jazz's parents began to awaken as well. First Maddie woke up, sitting up in a dazed manner. "What happened?" she asked. "We were fighting ghosts when...when... Ohh, everything after that has just been a blur." She turned to her husband. "What about you, Jack? Do you remember anything?"

He groaned. "Flapjacks..."

"Oh dear." She turned to her children, before starting. "Sam, Tucker! When did you get here? And where is the amusement park?" Her eyes widened. "Ah, I remember now! Wasn't the park haunted? But...then we became unconscious... What happened? Where did it go?"

Danny and Jazz exchanged looks before laughing. "It's okay, Mom. We got it," he said.

"Everything's fine now," Jazz added, helping her father sit up.

Maddie sighed. "Oh, I know this trip didn't exactly go as planned and wasn't at all as relaxing as we would've liked, but—"

"No, it's fine," Danny interrupted, sharing a knowing look with his sister and friends. "It was a little crazy, but...I think I feel at peace after all."

Then they all laughed, leaving a very confused mother and a very disorientated father.

Danny smiled. _Amuzo and James did too—we really did find peace._

* * *

 **-END-**

 _Leave a review! I hope you guys enjoyed. :D_


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